"KASKA!" Fireday cries as the brothers gang up on her.
"YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!"
He attacks the wounded creature with his sword-staff.
Observing how the creatures cover themselves under the darkness Holg decides it is a good idea to light them up "Kaska get out of that flank " and then waits to see if he has space to hit both creatures with a 10' burst.
Holg raises his holy symbol and a sacred beam of light descends into the darkness to dazzle and blind the creatures as he completes burst of radiance .
The Kellid draws his sword and steps to the front.
Holg draws his sword while he advances to flank the closer creature with Kaska or Fireday.
Coen looks a bit flustered about the robbery and doesn't catch up to the situation until well after first blood is drawn.
Catching up he reacts by casting magic missiles into the chest of the closest brother.
Kaska lurches to the side, trying to remove herself from between the two shadow people. She continues to attack the wounded one.
Viv likewise draws one of her metal shards and hurls it, sheathed with ectoplasmic force, at the injured creature.
(-4 if I have to shoot past someone and take a cover penalty, but with that roll, it doesn't matter)
Fireday manages to stab the dark creature with one end of his spade. Viv's blast goes wide, but Coen's magic missiles strike true.
Kaska steps out of the disadvantageous position and swings her falx, but doesn't connect. She makes way for Holg to blast both brothers with searing light! The burst doesn't seem to hurt them--they aren't evil--but they are sensitive to light, and both are momentarily blinded!
The creatures stab out blindly at Kaska and Fireday, but they can't hit what they can't see!
(-4 if I have to fire through cover)
Another metal dart flies out and pwings off the scenery.
" You would think twice before looking again for scraps! Are you these Helion?" but Holg does not wait for a response, he moves around the injured one and flanks it with Kaska with destructive blessing.
With Holg moving in on the wounded one, Kaska swivels to the other.
Seeing Holg will likely finish the wounded one off, Fireday joins Kaska in attacking her enemy.
Viv's blast catches the wounded creature in the chest, and as he doubles over in pain, Coen blasts him with another pair of magic missiles. The creature suddenly explodes in a flash of white-hot flame, consuming his body and scorching those nearby, ironically including his own brother!
As the second creature reels from the detonation, both Kaska and Holg smite their foe. He too shudders for a moment before detonating in a fiery burst! Their swords and clothes clatter to the ground, no trace of their bodies remaining.
"That was... unexpected."
Holg clumsily tries to avoid the explosion to no result. He cleans his scorched face and looks to quickly save his companions by channeling all his remaining energy.
" That was tough. I feel I am exhausted now and will need rest" Holg looks around to further heal the most injured in the group.
Kaska doesn't move and takes the full brunt of both explosions. Holg's quick channels of positive energy bring her back to consciousness, but she is badly injured still.
Kaska opens her eyes laying on the ground. "What was that? What happened?"
"They blew up!" says Viv excitedly. "Like... like... like pinecone thrown on a fire!" She offers to help Kaska up. "Let's get outta the streets. This place is getting more unsafe by the minute."
"Ok, let me check what else can I do " Holg touches Kaska and converts a couple spells into healing.
" Let's rush to visit our Hawk allies, I only have one remaining heal"
Fireday shouts as he dodges the worst of one explosion only to be caught by the second. He joins the rest as they huddle around Holg to be healed.
"That...wasn't pleasant," he manages. "I agree, let's get back to the Hawks before we're ambushed again."
You make it back to the gatehouse to report your success to Sevroth Slsid and the Steel Hawks. "Nice! You killed Birdfood and stole one of his pets? I like your style!" Sevroth says. "And you slew the Shadow Brothers, too? Damn, you're already proving your scrap-worth. We owe you a debt, mates. I'll tell you whatever you wanna know about this place. And you can crash at the Palace if you need a place to rest. You look like you got the s*!~ kicked outta you!"
"Who were the Shadow Brothers? Other than muggers, I mean. Killing them blew up in our faces. Literally."
Coen looks at his fingers as if a little lost about the entire situation.
"I still can't believe that man exploded... I'm not sure I like Scrapwall very much."
"Scrapwall is kind of a dump," says Viv. "That's okay though. It'll be better once we've had a chance to clean out the Hellion rubbish."
"The Shadow Brothers were a pair of freelance tech thieves. Always skulking about, looking for easy marks. People said they weren't human, and if they frakkin' exploded, that probably means it was true."
Sevroth looks at Viv dubiously at her assertion. "You gotta be nuts if you think you can take down a frakkin' god. But I wouldn't mind seeing them Lords of Rust taken down a peg."
"We'll work our way up," says Viv. "C'mon, let's break out some vittles."
Sevroth and the Hawks surround your group as you head back to Hawk Palace, the intimidating gang keeping any would-be assailants at bay. They set you up in the barracks and stable your horse, allowing you to eat a decent meal and get some rest to recover from the brutal battles of the day.
In the morning, a squawk of static presages another announcement. *ATTENTION, SCRAPPERS! I UNDERSTAND THE STEEL HAWKS ARE UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT. THEIR FORMER LEADER, BIRDFOOD, WAS A PATHETIC WHELP WHO DID NOT HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO SURVIVE IN THIS PLACE. SEVROTH SLAID NOW RULES THE HAWKS. WE SHALL SEE IF SHE HAS THE SCRAP-WORTH TO HOLD ON TO HER NEW POSITION.*
As you are finishing your breakfast, Sevroth approaches you with a rolled parchment. "A little metal birdie just came by and dropped off a message. I think it's for you."
The message reads:
To those who deposed Birdfood and defeated the Shadow Brothers,
You seem to have made a splash around Scrapwall in a short amount of time. I am curious as to your intentions here. Come to the Clockwork Chapel at your convenience and perhaps we shall share what we know with one another.
In the name of the Whisper in Bronze,
Dinvaya Lanalei
First thing Holg does when reaching the Palace is to convince Kaska to sit for a time and sew her worst wounds stopping the bleeding "Stop moving girl, you don't want this needle ending in one of those eyes of yours"
Before going to sleep Holg will use his last cure on himself, then applies bandages and healing products from his healing kit in everyone still injured " Those were tough fights, let's place some more patches here, Gorum approves!"
Kaska: 41/44
Fireday: 27/27
Holg: 33/39
Viv: 35/35
Coen: 21/21
After reading the letter he recognizes the name by the signature "Dinvaya Lanalei! That was Joram's old Ally! We should meet her as she proposes. Even if she cannot help us we can at least accomplish our promise to Joram's"
Kaska still squirms some at the stitching, it's not pleasant at all.
"Yeah, that should be the woman he asked us to look for. She should be out first stop tomorrow."
"A priestess of Brigh? That could be good news for us," says Viv. "At least she probably isn't too happy with the idea of another self-proclaimed god horning in on this territory."
Before you depart, Sevroth gives you a run-down on the other gangs of Scrapwall and their territories. "Just east of here you've got Redtooth's Raiders. Bunch of ratfolk scavengers. They used to be a big deal, but the Smilers have been picking them off lately. The Smilers claim the territory to the north. Those are the hardcore s~*&heads, frakkin' cannibals. The whole eastern half of Scrapwall belongs to the Lord of Rust. Their base of operations is the Scrapmaster's Arena right smack in the middle of this junk heap. You'd do well to stay away until you're ready for a fight.
"That crazy woman Dinvaya lives up in a dead-end gorge to the north. She don't take well to visitors, but since you got an invitation, maybe she'll be a bit nicer to you."
When you are ready, you pick your way north across the junk fields, skirting the edge of Redtooth's Raiders territory. You find the gorge Sevroth mentioned and make your way to the end of it. The tumultuous sound of metal grinding on metal issues forth from a constantly churning, grinding wall of gears that blocks off the western portion of this narrow valley. Only two larger gears remain motionless, situated at ground level in the center of the wall where one might expect to see a pair of doors.
"That's a little unusual," says Viv. "I wonder if that was constructed or conjured?" she muses as she gestures at the giant wall of moving gears. Her violet eyes flicker up and down the structure and she rests one hand on a hip as she casually inspects the fixture.
Viv moves slightly closer to the gears - cautiously, in case something swings out wildly and suddenly - and scrutinizes the two nonmoving gears to see how they fit the rest of the mechanism.
Holg prepares the spell to fix the bow at morning.
Once in front of the gears he helps Viv to find a way in and hits the gears asking for permission "Hi there! We are the adventurers you invited. Can you let us in?"
If there is anything obvious he invests as much as needed.
There is no response to Holg's knocking or question. He and Viv spend several minutes searching the large gears, eventually discovering a hidden switch! Flipping it causes the gears to grind open, revealing three stairs leading up to another set of gear doors. A second switch opens these doors.
The chamber beyond is shaped like a gear and contains four quite artfully carved statues of the goddess Brigh built from junk and rubble, each depicting the goddess in the act of creating a different clockwork creature--a giant spider, a boar, a lion, and a wyvern. A gear-shaped altar sits in the middle of the room, with three doors leading to adjoining rooms.
A half-elf woman tinkers with one of the statues, but she turns towards you once the doors open, sliding her goggles up onto her head. "You must be the ones I sent the message to. I'm Dinvaya. So, what are you doing here? Well, obviously you're here because of my letter. I mean, why have you come to Scrapwall?"
Fireday is quiet for most of the rest of the day , praying quietly and cleaning his armor and weapons. He rolls his eyes at Hellion's broadcast and nods in agreement to finding Dinvaya as their next course of action.
Once they arrive, and Dinvaya introduces herself, Fireday bows to her.
"Blessings of the Inheritor and your goddess Brigh upon you, Dinvaya. My name is Fireday. Our reasons for coming here are to investigate Hellion's schemes, which greatly harmed the community of Torch. In addition, we're friends of an old colleague of yours, Joram Kyte. He saved my life after a battle beneath Torch brought me to the brink of death. I owe him and Brigh a great debt. Joram asked us to see if you were still here in Scrapwall when we arrived, and see how you were doing, which appears to be rather well. This worship-space is impressive!"
"Joram! How many years has it been since I last saw him? He must be so old now!" Dinvaya smiles wistfully as she seems to be lost in her memory for a few moments. "Well, any friends of Joram are friends of mine! Welcome to my Clockwork Chapel. I'm glad you like it! You can stay here as long as you like, and I'll do my best to heal you and keep you safe.
"I've been here for nearly twenty years. I've seen dozens of gangs come and go, but the Lords of Rust are the first that truly worry me. Their faith in the faceless Hellion reeks of blasphemy. Not to mention each of the individual Lords are powerful unto themselves. If you're going after them, you'd better be ready for a fight!"
Holg presents Joram's holy symbol as a probe and let's Dinvaya take it "He wants you to know that you are no longer looked after by the Technique League and you don't need to hide anymore. You are free to come back to Torch "
" What can you tell us about this Hellion? Is he really a god? And what about the Lords of Rust, whom are their allies?"
Dinvaya accepts the holy symbol with a smile. "Wow, that's a weight off of my shoulders. I think it is about time I rejoin society--after I help you with your task here, of course."
When Holg says the word 'god,' the half-elf quickly shushes him. "Shh! If there is indeed a god dwelling here in Scrapwall, it's probably best not to speak about it out loud! As for the Lords of Rust, I can tell you quite a bit about them.
"The gang comprises a motley group of creatures, but the majority are orcs, androids, and ratfolk. There are several powerful individuals that serve as their leaders. The ettin Draigs wields two spiky chains with unnerving grace in combat. She's the thug and executioner for the leadership—the one Hellion calls upon to mete out punishment to those who sin against Hellion. The troll Helskarg is a garrulous creature and something of the front face of the Lords. She guards the entrance to the gang's lair, but more importantly, she orchestrates the fights in the Scrapmaster’s Arena. The most mysterious Lord of Rust is the crimson-skinned monster Zagmaander, who is something of a local bogeyman. Zagmaander serves Hellion as an enforcer and assassin, and even the other Lords of Rust leaders fear her.
"The leader of the Lords used to be an android priestess named Meyanda, but she's been missing for some time. Now her leadership duties are split between a hulking orc barbarian named Kulgara and a wily half-orc cleric named Nalakai."
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Fireday quirks an eyebrow at Dinvaya's descriptions.
"I may not know much, but even I know it says something about your group when the most charming member is a troll,"
He nods when she mentions the gang's former leader.
"Yes, we've met Meyanda. Her plan to break Torch's flame and steal its power for Hellion was stopped by us, and now the town has her prisoner. We're hoping in time her mad zealotry will fade. And I think bringing down her false god and showing the world he never was one is a step in the right direction."
"You were the ones who stopped Meyanda? Okay, well, color me impressed! I know they were siphoning off power from a distant location. I didn't know it was Torch. They were gathering the power at a receiver array on the far side of Scrapwall. You might want to check that array for clues before going after the Lords of Rust.
"Other than that, I'd suggest building up your scrap-worth. Once it's high enough, it will only be a matter of time before the Lords of Rust notice you and invite you to take part in a battle in the Scrapmaster's Arena. This may well be the easiest way to get close to the lords and give you a chance to attack one of them—the troll Helskarg."
"What else can we do in the meantime, then? Are there other people to meet? Civic improvements to complete? I love a good side-quest," says Viv with an awkward but eager cadence.
"An Arena? That sounds interesting... How do we build up our scrap-worth then? Please tell me we do it fighting!" Holg grins wide open to the priestess.
"Do you know what are the current plans of the Rust?"
"Fighting is the way to do it!" Dinvaya says. "I know the Smilers and Redtooth's Raiders have been at war with each other. Defeating one or both gangs would give you a solid boost. There's also a mutant manticore that lives atop Scrapwall's highest junk heap. If you could take it down, you'd earn even more scrap-worth.
"As for their current plans, I know Hellion wants to expand its influence outside of Scrapwall. I've heard that it has found a powerful weapon of some sort, and that the device is buried under the arena. Infiltrating of the Lords of Rust compound there would no doubt reveal more information."
Fireday crosses his arms and a pensive look settles on his face.
"We've already bloodied the Smilers' collective nose twice. I imagine we've made them mad enough that they'll try to track us down for revenge until the gang is thoroughly broken. Sevroth mentioned that Redtooth's Raiders have been struggling in their conflict with the Smilers. Perhaps we could approach them, form an alliance of convenience? The enemy of my enemy is my friend, after all."
Then he paces a bit.
"I would also make checking out that array a priority, to make sure Hellion can't try to repeat his scheme against Torch. What does an "array" look like, Dinvaya?"
"It looks like a big dish pointed into the sky. There's a facility with several rooms built into its base."
" Thanks Dinvaya, that would be of use. Why you or one of the other gangs have not already fought the Lords of Rust?"
Holg listens attentive to Fireday " You know better than me friend. If it was me I would just propose them a fight for scrap-worth " the Kellid draws his symbol of a mountain crossed by a gratesword and kisses it.
"Because I'm not suicidal! I know my talents lie in tinkering and healing, not fighting. A bunch of orcs and giants would wipe the floor with me! And the other gangs don't care about what the Lords of Rust are up to so long as it doesn't inconvenience them in any way. They're all just looking out for themselves."
"When I stood before Iomedae and Brigh and the butterfly goddess, just before Joram brought me back from death, they told me that we were meant for something great. It feels like just by arriving in Scrapwall, we've become the catalyst of change. Maybe once all this is over, Scrapwall will become a better place..." he muses.
He regards Dinvaya.
"How do you feel about the Steel Hawks gang? They've become allies with us, so maybe they will be your allies too."
Dinvaya shrugs. "They bring me some interesting junk from time to time. I don't really have strong feelings towards them one way or the other,"
"Ok, so what about this. We go to check that array and we Smash the Smilers and perhaps the Raiders in our way..." Holg smiles at Fireday while saying this "Ok, we perhaps have to discuss about that point with them. We then look for the manticore and test ourselves against her"
" Could you sketch a map with their locations Dinvaya? It is a bit confusing to me to know where to go first. It would help if available " Holg checks a burn on his left arm " Also if you could heal us a bit... we are still slightly burned from yesterday explosions..."
"I would not like to abuse your hospitality, but if you could fix this too... I was going to try myself but you seem better on those tasks " the Kellid hands the broken bow to the priestess.